Serum Institute of India stopped manufacture, supply of additional Covishield doses from Dec 2021: Spokesperson

New Delhi [India], May 8 : The Serum Institute of India (SII) has stopped the manufacture and supply of additional doses of Covishield from December 2021 in view of the significantly decreasing demand for previous vaccines, a spokesperson from the vaccine manufacturing company said.
"With India achieving high vaccination rates in 2021 and 2022, coupled with the emergence of new mutant variant strains, the demand for previous vaccines diminished significantly. Consequently, since December 2021, we have stopped the manufacturing and supply of additional doses of Covishield," a spokesperson from the SII said on Wednesday.
On the alleged side-effects of the vaccine, the SII said that they have disclosed all the rare to very rare side effects in its packaging since 2021.
"We fully understand the ongoing concerns and it's crucial to emphasize our commitment to transparency and safety. From the outset, we have disclosed all rare to very rare side effects, including Thrombosis with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome, in the packaging insert in 2021," the SII spokesperson said.
On AstraZeneca's withdrawal of its Covid-19 vaccine Vaxzervria, Serum Institute of India spokesperson said that the safety of its vaccine remains "paramount".
"Despite the challenges faced during the global pandemic, the safety of the vaccine remains paramount. Regardless of whether it's AstraZeneca's Vaxzervria or our own Covishield, both vaccines have been instrumental in saving millions of lives worldwide. We commend the collaborative efforts of governments and ministries in facilitating a unified global response to the pandemic," the SII spokesperson said.